Is this the End of Consumerism?
Americans have grown use to being able to buy anything they want, anytime they want it. Want a burger? Want to go grocery shopping? How about a latte? Don't worry, it's all available 24/7 in the city.
Even before Covid, the majority of workers told pollsters that they hated their jobs. Of course, workers doing unskilled work hated their jobs the most. Many skilled workers loved the work they did, but they hated the conditions their bosses forced them to work under.
There’s good news for workers, bad news for consumers. More and more workers are either walking away from their jobs or refusing to apply for a job. How many workers have quit their jobs so far this year? Can you believe 25 percent!
Many workers are now “woke” in the sense that they have gotten a taste of life without wage slavery and they realize it is a better way to live. The factories, offices and retail establishment gates are now wide open, and a flood of people are streaming out for a better life.
How is this possible when corporations are busy jacking up their prices? It seems that millions of couples are able to get by on one job only (just like in our grandparents’ day). They may not have a stellar standard of living, but actually, it costs a lot to go to work every day.
Some of the expenses that disappear along with the job are repair and upkeep on a second car, plus gasoline, paying for lunch instead of making something at home, and office clothing that we wouldn’t otherwise wear.
This includes a noose (tie) for many men, possibly a suit or other work clothes and shoes. These cost can run into real money for women workers since our sexist society bases employability on how a woman looks and not how she performs her job.
Many workers have to pay for child care if both spouses work. This goes away, as does the dog walker. Much of the repair and upkeep of the home must be contracted out when both people are busy with their jobs. Otherwise, many simple repairs could be done by the couple, at no cost.
In addition to the lack of job expenses, peace of mind is enhanced by staying home. This doesn’t mean that everyone continues the quarantine that we all suffered through thanks to Covid. On the contrary, not having a 9 to 5 job means that people have more time to be involved in their community and with their friends.
Other benefits of not having a job means that people can start a vegetable garden in the backyard, or in a plot in a community space. This can save big money at the grocery store. Lots of people have good ideas about what they will do with the 40-plus hours per week that they have given themselves.
Some people have an idea of an invention they would like to create. Others want to write a book about a topic they know well. Some would like to start a small business.
My favorite is when people get together with their friends and work on a joint project. As we all know, the world is changing faster than ever. This opens up more opportunities to fulfill public needs than ever before. Here’s one: a book about creative ways for the millions of self-unemployed to spend their time and make money would undoubtably be a best seller.
So what does this social earthquake mean for society at large? Any time there is profound change some people get hurt and some people thrive. Lots of Main Street establishments have already gone out of business, and many more will follow. Empty store fronts abound.
Big corporations aren’t immune from this trend. Many pundits are already writing obits for big automakers that can’t get their arms around the electric revolution. They predict the demise of Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, BMW, and many more, as Chinese electric vehicles, Tesla, and other start ups take over.
Similar patterns will affect other industries, perhaps airlines, shipping companies, the food industry and lots more will fail to innovate and become a footnote in 21st century history books. Then there is the oil and gas industry. Either they go or we all die. Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest corporation with a more than $7 trillion dollar valuation is already going into major investments in mortgages and real estate. The L.A. Times is more than willing to take their money for a half-page advertisement every day, even if Biden refuses to meet with the Crown Prince. Is it too late for Aramco to pivot? Let’s hope so.
So, as reported previously in The Left Coast, America is sliding into socialism whether the 1 percenters want it or not. The economy rules. The sweetest sort of socialism may be in our future where working people (that’s us) get together and form cooperatives that take over food and goods manufacturing and distribution with nary a billionaire in sight. In this scenario, unions can play a major role by kick-starting the process. Some unions will jump right in, while others will have to shed their 20th century authoritarian structures and join us in riding the crest of this fast approaching tsunami.
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The Year the World Ended
Is this the year the world ends?
Yes, but the World ends every year.
The World ends every day.
The World ends every moment
and begins anew.
We are not the same people who lived
in the 20th Century
in the 19th Century
in ancient Rome and China
Every atom that was in our bodies,
when we were born...is gone.
Nothing that makes me, me, still survives
We are all replacements for the original
We are changing, changing, changing.
Don’t be afraid to change.
Don’t think you can wait to change.
You cannot leave by the same door.
You cannot step into the same river.
Shadows of eternity on every moment.
We are all part of the same living universe.
We are not victims of change,
We are the Change.
We are the agents of a better life.
We are the pioneers of a new world.
JS
Great article and poem for these dark times, Jim! I will share it.